The European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations (EFNNMA) is the voice of nursing and midwifery within WHO European Region.Working in partnership and strategically with WHO and other key stakeholders we aim to influence health policy, improve the quality of health services and the health of people across the 53 Member States of the Region. We are passionate advocates of the central and unique contribution that Nurses and Midwives make to individual and population health and well-being across Europe and are committed to ensuring both professions are supported to deliver excellence in their practice. As the nature of care changes we believe that strengthening and developing the nursing and midwifery workforce through the provision of lifelong learning and research delivers excellence in public health and people-centered healthcare.
13th Annual Meeting of EFNNMA, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2009
13th Annual Meeting of EFNNMA, Copenhagen, Denmark, 4-5 June 2009
The focus of the meeting was on the WHO draft of the “international code on recruitment of health personnel”. The Forum of the National Nurses and Midwives Associations discussed the impact of the Code in the WHO Euro Region.
The draft EFNNMA statement on the code on international recruitment of health personnel, that had been circulated to all EFNNMA members, was revised and endorsed. It will be sent to members and be accessible to participants through the WHO/EURO web page and to be used by National Nursing Associations and National Midwifery Associations in their dialogue with policy makers in the Member States.
International code on recruitment of health personnel
Health workforce migration has been increasing worldwide over the past decades, leading to critical shortages of qualified health personnel in many lower-income countries. In response to this global crisis, Member States and relevant partners called on WHO to lead the development of a code of practice for the ethical international recruitment of health personnel. A first draft of the code was presented in March 2008, followed by extensive consultation with Member States, health professionals, policy-makers and other stakeholders. As part of this process, feedback was gathered from national nursing and midwifery associations in the European Region at the 13th Annual Meeting of the European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations (EFNNMA). The final draft of the code will be submitted to the Sixty-third World Health Assembly in May 2010.